Jill Meagher killer in prisoner protection

The man who raped and killed Melbourne woman Jill Meagher has been placed in prison protection, as fellow inmates blame him for recent changes to the parole system.

Many long-term criminals now believe they will spend more time jail due to radical reforms triggered by Meagher's case.

Adrian Ernest Bayley confessed to Meagher brutal murder in 2012. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a non-parole period of 35 years.

Public outrage over the Victorian parole system was sparked after revelations that Meagher's murder could have been prevented if Bayley had his parole revoked before the killing after pleading guilty to assault.

Instead, Bayley was released on bail after appealing his three-month sentence and even though he confessed to the assault, his parole was not cancelled.

Later the Parole Board issued a formal apology to Jill's husband Tom, admitting Bayley should have been returned to jail.

“The board acknowledges a failure to identify the escalating risk that Mr Bayley posed to the community,” it said.

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High court Judge Ian Callinan was called in to review the parole system and made 23 recommendations to the government aimed at toughening parole qualifications.

Under the new system it is more difficult to win parole with the onus on serious offenders to prove they are no longer a risk to the public, former victims or witnesses.

A prison source said many long-term prisoners had expected to receive parole at the end of their minimum sentence.

“They are now looking at much longer jail time and they blame Bayley,” the source said.

He said other inmates who had breached parole in high profile cases are also at risk:“He's not the only one.”
Bayley, who has been classified as an at-risk prisoner due to the outrage over the Meagher case, is yet to be moved into the prison mainstream and remains under protection in the Melbourne Assessment Prison.